Chamberlain Nursing School... Is it worth it?

I am beginning my nursing journey. Gathering all the info I need. Getting my classes together. Going to take my pre reqs at a community college.. Going to meet with an advisor tomorrow. My question is this: Is Chamberlain worth it for $90,000+? I'm 21 with a 5 year old son. I wrote down many questions to ask myself and one being where I want to be 5 years from now. And that is a Registered Nurse working with children at a hospital. I've been all year weighing my options about pursuing my nursing degree once all my pre reqs are completed and City Colleges of Chicago I will be waiting until Fall.

I am in no real rush to get in school but I was hoping to get in Malcolm X by the Spring or the Fall and the fact that it isn't a guarantee whatsoever kinda bothers me. I don't want to waste 2 years of my life waiting to get into nursing school whereas at Chamberlain, I could be right after I finish my pre reqs and in 2 years I will be one step closer to getting my BSN. Is Chamberlain worth it? It is CCNE accredited. I've been doing my research on this school and know a couple of people who is either attending it or have graduated from there.

Should I go for it?

I am looking at it form a different perspective than some. I'm not so worried about my loans and funding for school while I am there because I think that's negative and can be very stressful. I will worry about it when I graduate and become the Nurse I've only dreamed of.

Are there any current or alumni students of Chamberlain School of Nursing that can shed some light on me and give me more info and just help me in this journey? All is appreciated. Thanks!

Specializes in Critical Care; Evidence-based practice.

The cost is a bit of an investment, but i feel it is worth every penny. I n February I just finished my MSN in nursing education through Chamberlain. I can't say enough great things about them! It is an accredited school, developed by nurses for nurses. Your instructors are always available, there is always a librarian available, abs they offer tutoring as well. They provide so much support for students it would be hard not to succeed. They help with applications and are great at answering any questions. They have many scholarships as well, and will help you with them.

In order to accept new students so readily they have 2 cycles of semesters. My favorite thing is that classes are in 6week sessions so you can take your 2 courses for the semester in separate 6 week sessions. It made all the required work so managble as I also worked full time through school. Another plus is that most of your coursework is asynchronous- meaning you complete it on your schedule as best works for you. Chamberlain also has great rubrics and communication so that it is very clear how your grade is earned and exactly what you need to do. Again if you still need support 24-7 it is only a phone call or click away! My friend got her BSN through Chamberlain and she took 2-3 courses each session while working full time as a single parent with 2 girls. It's definitely worth a phone call to see if you qualify for scholarships. Last thing about student loans- after you finish you can enroll in loan forgiveness, and after making your payments for the designated time (a few years) the remaining balance will be forgiven. So you may not be paying it the rest of your life but maybe a few years and the government will forgive the rest. Good luck! Chamberlain is awesome! Totally worth it!!

I currently attend Chamberlain in Atlanta, and so far I find it to be worth it. I personally do better in fast paced environments. It is a bit stressful at times having to do 16 weeks of course material in 8, but it also is nice because you finish class you don't really like faster. As for tuition, it is really expensive, but in the end it is similar to any other 4 year program. The only difference is you pay it in 3 instead of 4. Since you your pre-reqs will be done before you enter you technically would be paying half the tuition than if you entered with nothing done. They also provide payment plans which can make it a bit easier. The teachers here provide all the support that is needed. The tutoring center (Center for Academic Success) is very helpful, considering the staff members are all RNs. Like every school it has its ups and downs, but I feel as if it is really preparing me to take the NCLEX. All nursing exams given are NCLEX style which really helps. From what I remember during orientation the pass rate for the campus I attend is over 92%. I also have a few friends who graduated from Chamberlain in Addison, and all of them landed jobs within 6 months of graduation. If you want to stay somewhere close to Chicago but not attend Chamberlain, I suggest you look into College of DuPage (it is in the suburbs and I do not know if that is an option for you), NIU, and UIC. all of theses are competitive programs with wait lists. However with Chamberlain, they have rolling admissions, and you can start in January, May, or September. So you can always keep it as a back up. There is one down side to attending Chamberlain before any other nursing school, other schools allow for you to transfer their credits (meaning if you are academically released you can transfer completed courses to a different school) Chamberlain credits on the other hand will not transfer. I hope this helped!

Specializes in Med/Surg Telemetry.

I've been following this post for a while and this is what I have to add. I checked out Chamberlain Irving in June but waited to finish my prerequisites from CC which saved me about $12,000. I just started this January and it's been great so far.

There are so many resources available to you to help you succeed. I think that my total tuition will be about $45,000. I have pell grants and government loans so, I don't have to take out private loans or pay out of pocket. Also, I work with Texas Health Resources and they give tuition reimbursement of $5,000 every year plus there are nursing scholarships through devry or community. My advice to anyone that wishes to attend Chamberlain is to finish all the prerequisites in Community College before transferring to Chamberlain. This will help reduce the tuition and the time. I only take two courses per 8 weeks and I will graduate by January.

All the best.

There are many private schools that cost much more than Chamberlain!!! Chamberlain has a great BSN program and I would advise anyone to go there. Don't think about the loan payment you can easily work a full time and a part time to pay them loans back swiftly.

You can easily pay your loans off without struggling there are many hospitals offering tuition reimbursement! You just have to sign a 3-4 year contract with the hospital. So I don't like the way you all just put this school down in this manner. There are other schools that cost so much more than chamberlain that aren't as good. If you have time to waste then by all means do what you have to do.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
wallacevellonpvamu said:
You can easily pay your loans off without struggling there are many hospitals offering tuition reimbursement! You just have to sign a 3-4 year contract with the hospital. So I don't like the way you all just put this school down in this manner. There are other schools that cost so much more than chamberlain that aren't as good. If you have time to waste then by all means do what you have to do.

There is tuition reimbursement, then there are student loans. Tuition reimbursement is usually going forward, not paying what debt you already have.

There are many new grads struggling with student loan debt who had the best intentions going to school but cannot find jobs. Looking at the saturation of new grads in one's area is wise.

I have graduated from Chamberlain twice now — RN-to-BSN and then MSN — but I had tuition reimbursement and later my GI Bill from military service to fund my education. While I enjoyed both programs, I would never pay $85,000 for a BSN — which is what some people pay if they don't have transfer credits.

If I am advising someone to be an informed individual, it's that simple — people should do that across the board for anything of value, be it cars, homes/mortgages, or education. Here is the gainful employment page from Chamberlain that people should consider: Gainful Employment Disclosures

Also a student loan repayment calculator: FinAid | Calculators | Loan Calculator

Now if you look at the gainful employment information for Georgia BSN grads, you'll see it's 85%. Not bad, if you are in that 85%, but what about the other 15%? How stressed do you think they are if they have the max loan debt?

Just do your research and be an informed consumer. Yes, you need to think about the loan debt you are incurring. Why do you think that there is a staggering amount of student loan debt in this country already? Because people did not take the time to be informed.

I'm a current student there now. All schools have there pros and cons. I would definitely suggest that you do all your non nursing classes at a community college and save your money. Most people come in with most credits and it does help. Though there is nothing wrong with a community college program for nursing either. You just have to decides what is best for you and puts you farther faster.

I decided to go to chamberlain because I was at another college for nursing and had to drop out and move home. I wanted to get my school done a quickly as possible. Chamberlain allowed me to do that. Though my growing loan amount does bother me but if I went to a four year college it would have been that same amount but just over a longer period of time.

Good luck!

Don't listen to anyone that doesn't know your personal situation. Nurses in California are likely to get a job as new grad making 80-95k a year. It varies, obviously, but the loans won't make much of a difference to you are smart about it. Use calculators, definitely spend time crunching the numbers, seeking the advice of the financial advisors (and make sure you verify everything they tell you), and creating a plan.

But is the school worth it? If you can't afford or sustain the lifestyle higher education requires for years, then absolutely. If you are in a highly competitive state and will wait so long to get into a nursing school, your science credits expire... then yes, worth it. Do your time, invest in yourself, make the right decision for your situation. After 10-15 years of payments, federal loans are forgiven. That is nothing for a lifetime of stability and a fulfilling career.

As someone that obsessively avoids debt, I now realize it is an investment in myself.

One last thing, try to stay away from private loans if you can.

I genuinely understand where both of you are coming from. I know $90,000 is a lot of money for a BSN, hell really thats why I'm even asking questions about it. In my saying that I don't look at it like that is because thats the one con I can think about when choosing this school, if I do. I wanted to see if there were other cons to look at. I know the tuition itself will discourage me from going but at the same time, people who are financially stable right now, I'm sure this same tuition didn't deter them. I don't want that to be my only determining factor, if you know what I'm saying... As for my son and I being deprived, absolutely not. Nurses in my area make a decent amount of money, starting off. I'm in Chicago btw. No, I'm not saying having to pay back X amount of dollars is nothing to me because just paying my phone bill bothers me lol (Im cheap lol)... I definitely appreciate your comments though.

Personally, I'd choose a public or private school over a for-profit school every time, even if I had to wait a few years to get in. I don't know anything about the school, but for-profit schools have been under increased scrutiny lately.

I wish I would've posted this sooner, I needed to hear this. I needed to know that waiting is okay. I got really discouraged and was just trying to start as soon as possible so I can be a nurse already you know? $750 is absurd... But I needed that info. Thanks! Waiting is really the best option for me.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

OP read the thread on paying back student loans. It will be an eye-opening. And NO that school is not worth it, to me.

+ Join the Discussion